Complaints regarding offshore drilling

Eni and Galp have been authorized to drill a deep-sea oil drilling hole, 46.5 kilometers off the coast of Aljezur. It was signed under a cloak of secrecy almost two weeks ago.

A complaint came from Catarina Martins.The coordinator of the Left Block warned of the danger of a possible first hole in Portugal in deep sea for prospecting oil in Aljezur. Assurances by the prime minister that there was no change to the concession, only a contractual compliance. According to the Lusa news agency, in the biweekly debate on Friday, in parliament, Catarina Martins devoted much of her speech to environmental issues, referring to an issue that "is out of the news, but is of the utmost gravity because it is possible to be faced with the first drilling realized in Portugal in deep sea for the exploration of hydrocarbons ", in Aljezur.

Local groups and public bodies have roared into action. ASMAA – the most vociferous people’s group in this fight – has convened a mass demonstration to mark the so-called debate on the issue in parliament, while AMAL, the association of the region’s mayors, has met with its lawyers to work out the best way forwards. In the meantime, MALP, PALP and almost every other civic group in this fight are throwing everything they can at what is being universally described as a “massive disrespect” to over 42,000 people who either signed petitions, wrote letters or otherwise put pen to paper to decry plans that can only put the nation’s safety at risk. As every critic of this fight has long explained: there will be no gains for Portugal in the discovery of oil or gas.